John Schumacher was a fixture in the hallways at the Park Rapids Area High School for more than 30 years.
Now the former teacher, coach and activities director at Park Rapids will be a fixture on the Area High School gym floor forever.
A “Livin’ The Dream” stencil along with Schumacher’s signature were unveiled as part of the new gym floor on Tuesday, April 28. The gesture honored Schumacher for his dedication to Park Rapids athletics, which included serving as the Panthers’ head coach in girls basketball and football and as an assistant coach in gymnastics, track and field, boys basketball and football before becoming the activities director in 2004.
“We wanted to do something special to honor a man that has spent 30 years of blood, sweat and tears in that gymnasium. We felt having his motto and signature by the home bench would be the best way to do that. John tells me every day in our discussions how much he loves Park Rapids High School. This is a token of appreciation for all that he's done for our school and community,” said Jeremy Nordick, the current activities director at Park Rapids. “Our athletes and coaches will have that right in front of them now. We hope that it serves as a motivational tool to work a little bit harder, be a good teammate, and always show respect to opponents and officials.”
"This is for every athlete who stepped into this gym," said Schumacher. "The kids had a bigger impact on me than I had on them. Their hard work and sweat allowed me to live my dream and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. I can't put into words what this means to me."
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